Alias: The Barkeep Name: John Duke Age: 52 Sex: Male Profession: Barkeep/Marijuana Dealer/Rune-Maker Location: The Parlour Affiliations: Himself Disposition: Shifty, mistrusting, discrete
Character Background and Description The Barkeep was born John Duke, the only child of Maria and Richard Duke. His father was imprisoned for his crimes as a thief shortly before his birth, and John didn't see his father until he was 10 years old. His mother Maria was a mercenary who specialized in casing out locations for thieves, and his parents met on a job. While his mother was able to support the two of them with little effort, John picked up the noble art of pickpocketing on his own to supplement his family's income and get himself some spending money.
Richard's return only amplified John's budding proclivities. John went from lifting wallets from busy passerby in city streets or grabbing his classmates' lunch money to lifting small items from stores while his father distracted the employees. After John's graduation from High School, Richard sent him to Half Moon Bay after having heard a few things about strange items some people there were capable of making. John, unable to find anything clearly unusual, set to what came naturally- pickpocketing people until he found something interesting while trying to remember what he took from whom.
After what felt like a month of making little-to-no progress, he lifted a stick that when tapped on a hard surface lit up despite containing no visible sources of power or light. After reverse pickpocketing the item back into his mark's pockets, he tracked his hapless mark into a tattoo parlour. He requested (and, after greasing enough palms, received) an education in the Runic Arts.
After four years, John was comfortable enough with his skillset that he felt his education was complete. As a final means to tie up loose ends, John arranged an accident for his teacher. Using money from his parents, he purchased an old warehouse in the port district which he had refit into a bar, lined with all the runes of protection, privacy, and secrecy he could find. At age 21, he took on the name 'Barkeep'.
The Barkeep got a reasonable business going, but decided that his margins weren't yet high enough, and so he built a greenhouse in the basement underneath his warehouse. He purchased knowledge of the appropriate runes from the Goblins, and after realizing their time compression runic array was impratical to use he elected for just the weather control runes instead. After greasing more palms to secure some runners, by age 30 the Barkeep was widely considered by the less-legal side of Half Moon Bay to be unwise to mess with.
Today, in addition to his untouchable reputation in the criminal side of Half Moon Bay, it is said that nothing occurs in Half Moon Bay without his knowledge, though the times he has acted upon said knowledge number so few that only a small percentage of individuals are concerned about the knowledge this man holds.
Alias: The Barkeep
Name: John Duke
Age: 52
Sex: Male
Profession: Barkeep/Marijuana Dealer/Rune-Maker
Location: The Parlour
Affiliations: Himself
Disposition: Shifty, mistrusting, discrete
Character Background and Description
The Barkeep was born John Duke, the only child of Maria and Richard Duke. His father was imprisoned for his crimes as a thief shortly before his birth, and John didn't see his father until he was 10 years old. His mother Maria was a mercenary who specialized in casing out locations for thieves, and his parents met on a job. While his mother was able to support the two of them with little effort, John picked up the noble art of pickpocketing on his own to supplement his family's income and get himself some spending money.
Richard's return only amplified John's budding proclivities. John went from lifting wallets from busy passerby in city streets or grabbing his classmates' lunch money to lifting small items from stores while his father distracted the employees. After John's graduation from High School, Richard sent him to Half Moon Bay after having heard a few things about strange items some people there were capable of making. John, unable to find anything clearly unusual, set to what came naturally- pickpocketing people until he found something interesting while trying to remember what he took from whom.
After what felt like a month of making little-to-no progress, he lifted a stick that when tapped on a hard surface lit up despite containing no visible sources of power or light. After reverse pickpocketing the item back into his mark's pockets, he tracked his hapless mark into a tattoo parlour. He requested (and, after greasing enough palms, received) an education in the Runic Arts.
After four years, John was comfortable enough with his skillset that he felt his education was complete. As a final means to tie up loose ends, John arranged an accident for his teacher. Using money from his parents, he purchased an old warehouse in the port district which he had refit into a bar, lined with all the runes of protection, privacy, and secrecy he could find. At age 21, he took on the name 'Barkeep'.
The Barkeep got a reasonable business going, but decided that his margins weren't yet high enough, and so he built a greenhouse in the basement underneath his warehouse. He purchased knowledge of the appropriate runes from the Goblins, and after realizing their time compression runic array was impratical to use he elected for just the weather control runes instead. After greasing more palms to secure some runners, by age 30 the Barkeep was widely considered by the less-legal side of Half Moon Bay to be unwise to mess with.
Today, in addition to his untouchable reputation in the criminal side of Half Moon Bay, it is said that nothing occurs in Half Moon Bay without his knowledge, though the times he has acted upon said knowledge number so few that only a small percentage of individuals are concerned about the knowledge this man holds.